Maybe it’s just a quirk of timing but it seems like Facebook’s had a couple big launch announcements recently while Google’s most noticeable activity is dropping their heavily hyped Wave product.
Here’s the comparison:
Facebook
Facebook’s big news yesterday was that they made it official they were launching, Facebook Places, a service to give them a foothold in the highly competitive geo-location arena against competitors such as FourSquare, Gowalla, Yelp but most directly (especially since a number of the smaller services were present at the launch – wha?), Google.
I found this quote, from the linked FourSquare article, particularly relevant:
The problem for innovative start-ups like Foursquare is that, ultimately, they are just real-world pilot tests for what works. Once a new social concept catches on, though, the Facebooks and Google’s of the world will step in and monopolize it like big box stores driving mom & pop shops out of business.
Facebook Places is not available in Canada yet but they’re working on it:
Facebook is also launching their own social Question & Answer service though I’ll likely stick with AskMetaFilter, since part of what makes AskMF work is that your question goes out to a much wider range of people than just your immediate social circle, increasing the chances you’ll get the answer you want. Here’s an excellent recent example – question and answer.
Google
The Google Graveyard and “Let’s Celebrate Google’s Biggest Failures” are two different takes on Google’s approach to product launch and development but both show a company that’s not afraid to take risks and try new things – not such a bad thing and part of the reason you can’t count them out in the tech battle royal they’re in with Microsoft, Apple and Facebook. (via MetaFilter)
There are some potential positives on the horizon from Google though. Although nothing official has been announced, it is all but confirmed that Google Me, their own Facebook competitor will be launching soon. Then things will *really* get interesting!
When you’re sitting at home sick and shivering with a (slightly less) sick kid sitting beside you, that’s a good time for a post listing some of your biggest pet peeves…
1. Captchas that use nonsense words and/or stretch words so that it’s almost impossible to decipher them. (“Is that an ‘i’? An ‘l’? A ‘J’?”)
2. People who plug things into the top outlet leaving the bottom one open. This became a major pet peeve during our Vancouver trip at the various hotels we stayed at. Shea and I both took our laptops, we had our cell phones and easy access to plug-ins was a must. Especially in hotels where plug-ins are often blocked by beds or bedside tables, this is pretty frustrating.
3. People who say ‘no’ automatically, like it’s a unique form of Tourette’s. I can’t decide if it’s worse when it’s done by a person who comes back later with the answer you needed or having done what you asked making their auto-no into a “yes”.
4. When you have to make two or three trips to do something simple. For example, a store advertises something you want but when you go, they’re sold out so you have to get a rain check then keep checking back. A related pet peeve is picking the wrong line which I did twice in one morning a couple weeks ago – at SARCAN when I tried to judge which would move fastest and lost bad then went to Sobey’s and a lady who’d ended up finishing ahead of us at SARCAN after coming later DID IT AGAIN in the grocery line-up!
5. It’s not really a pet peeve in the sense of “minor annoyance” like the other ones on this list. But trying hard to think of a library-related pet peeve, I’m going to say “people who look at porn in the library.” As much as I’ll defend their right to do so (we all have different information needs, right?), I also sometimes think “Sure, computers and Internet connections are still beyond the means of a lot of people but seriously, getting your jollies at the library? I mean, DVD players are cheap and the videos at Adult Source Video aren’t that expensive either (er, so I’ve heard).” That might be a better outlet for your…needs. (I know there are probably exhibitionist tendencies or undeveloped social skills being evidenced when people do this but still…)
Any time I spend time at our farm with my dad and Pace as I did this past weekend…
…I think of this song.
One reason the lyrics resonate is because I literally was that nervous boy getting onto the school bus for the first time. (Of course I managed to come home with a broken foot the very first day I took the bus to school but that’s another story. I will however always resent the teacher who told me to “walk it off” after a playground accident!)
The video always gets me too – would make a good Saccharine Sunday post for sure!
1. It’s always a shock to see someone wearing a Hitler ‘stash. If anybody permanently ruined a certain look, it’s Hitler. (If anybody else did, it’s Vanilla Ice and I secretly enjoy the fact that now, this blog post will become the top hit for Google searches for “Hitler Vanilla Ice”)
2. I was impressed when the reservist I was replacing at Southeast Regional Library told me he had to do a 15km run with a 30lb rucksack. But having done a 5km walk including going both up and down the hills of the Qu’Appelle Valley, much of it with a 36lb “Pace-sack” on my back, maybe his feat isn’t as impressive as it sounds? (Just kidding – if I had to do it at a run, I’d have puked blood.)
3. I spilled some gas on my hands, filling the lawn mower to do a rush cut of our lawn before the rains came. The smell reminds me of working at the Indian Head Esso in high school and I had so much gas on my hands in those days, I’m willing to bet that if I ever get diagnosed with cancer, it’ll be finger cancer.
4. Why do you climb Everest? Because it’s there.
5. Funny moment of the weekend. Going past one cottage, my mom says “Look at the monstrosity they’re building here.” Pace, who was sleeping, pops awake immediately: “Where’s the monster???”
I’m in HR but don’t actually have the magical power to hire anyone. Too bad though – I’ve often thought that libraries should be monitoring what’s happening in library schools and actively recruiting people who show originality, talent or potential. This video being a prime example of one of those types of tip-offs. And check-out their podcasts too!
